ad among the negroes like wildfire, and--"

"Precisely," cut in Don Esteban again. "That is exactly my own thought.
Therefore, if our presence here will not embarrass you we will gladly
remain and take our chance with you."

"My dear Don Esteban," exclaimed Don Luis, "let me hasten to assure you
that nothing could possibly give me greater satisfaction than to have
the assistance of yourself and your two gallant sons at this critical
juncture in my fortunes."

"Then that is settled," exclaimed I, breaking in rather ruthlessly, I am
afraid, upon Don Luis' compliments, for which, I considered, there was
scant time just then. "That makes three guns to start with. Now, how
many more can we muster?"

"Four of my overseers have two guns each, while the remaining two have
one each," answered Don Luis. "And each of them possesses a brace of
good serviceable pistols in addition. Then, as for me, you must know,
my dear Don Ricardo, that firearms are rather a weakness of mine;
whenever I see an especially good gun I buy it, if I can, consequently I
have a very fair selection in my gun-room, probably about twenty in all,
as well as a few brace of pistols, duelling and otherwise."

"Oh, but that is excellent," I exclaimed; "far better than I dared
expect. And as to ammunition?"

"I think you will find that we have as much of that as we are at all
likely to need, for I always make a point of keeping an ample supply in
stock," answered Don Luis.

"Good!" answered I. "The next point to determine is the identity of
your garrison. First, there is Don Esteban and his two sons; that makes
three. Then there is you and myself--five. Will your six overseers
fight, think you, Don Luis?"

"Oh yes, without a doubt," answered Don Luis. "They are most excellent
fellows, and devoted to me."

"Then, so far, we muster eleven," said I. "We want nineteen more
fighters, and at least thirty good, steady non-fighters, men who can be
depended upon to retain their coolness and do exactly as they are told
during the confusion and excitement of a fiercely contested fight. Now,
Don Luis, can you lay your hand upon forty-nine men of the kind I have
indicated--men who are trustworthy enough to be admitted inside these
walls at a moment when treachery on the part of any one of them would
probably be fatal to us all?"

Don Luis flushed and looked almost angrily at me as I suggested the
possibility of treachery on the part of any of his peop